[Sorry for the previous headline, I’d thought Mr. Labovsky was a member of the SF Forest Alliance group. He is not.]

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Dear Scott,

I spoke with Joe in your office yesterday, but wanted to follow up with this email to fill in some blanks.

I am writing on behalf of Anastasia Glikshtern, the woman who on Monday, succeeded in filing an appeal for a hearing to stop the Glen Canyon Park Improvement Plan from going forward.

I saw you were quoted saying Ms. Glikshtern’s appeal, was “misguided.: But on Thursday night, when you addressed the GPA meeting, I think you got a good idea of the kind of support Ms Glikshtern has in this community. While we might not agree with every aspect of Ms. Glikshtern appeal, most agree it was a good thing she pushed the “pause button” thereby giving us a little more time to make the case to you and others that the plan is, in it’s current state, ill considered. I believed that was why you and the president of GPA, Michael Rice agreed to hold a special meeting in our community to discuss all of these matters, before Ms. Glikshtern’s appeal is heard on December 5th, and to possibly iron out a compromise.

You should know that Anastasia is from the former Soviet Union, and a grandmother, who now resides in Mt Davidson, where she’s been involved with efforts to save the Sutro Forest. She is a decent and dedicated individual who has had the courage to single-handedly ‘fight city hall’ for a cause she and others truly believe. When I talk to her, I am reminded of those ladies from another era, The Gum Tree Ladies, who also chose to step forward at a time when Glen Canyon Park was in peril.

But to the main reason for writing: I have attached some recent correspondence sent to Ms Glikshtern by The Board of Appeals, at the behest of RPD. Anastasia’s appeal was scheduled for December 5th, but as you will see, RPD is asking the Board to reschedule that hearing for an earlier date. I think you’ll agree this is a transparent attempt, by the mighty RPD, to limit Ms. Glikshtern’s time, and ability to present her case. So I’m asking you to use your good offices to intervene on her behalf. RPD is Goliath, Anastasia is little David, and it just ain’t fair.

[The Glen Park News isn’t posting those emails because it doesn’t have permission to do so from their author at Rec & Park.]

I have every confidence that when you hear her presentation at the December 5th appeal hearing, you might appreciate why the Glen Canyon Park Improvement Plan should not go forward, as presently constituted.

I think it would be a wonderful gesture on your part if you would consider meeting with Ms. Glikshtern, if she would agree to it—she is a shy person, and not use to the limelight. I was thinking we could meet in Glen Canyon Park at tree #68, one of the venerable, eucalyptus trees that was a sapling when Grover Cleveland was President in 1885. Bring along all the folks from RPD, and we’ll have a picnic and make some simple changes to the tennis court plan which I believe will satisfy everyone.

In today’s SF Chronicle is a photo of children in the Glen Canyon Park’s playground. Well yesterday, I took a similar picture. I was out walking my dog Chili, and I came across the scene you see in this picture below: Little kids from a neighborhood school playing up in tree #22, a tree that would have been firewood now, if not for one lady, Anastasia Glikshtern.

Rest assured that in the end, kids will have their new playground to play in, and their old trees to climb in too. The only thing standing in their way is all of us.

Here’s the problem Stephen: we have had MANY meetings already to discuss the Glen Park improvement plans. These were never secret meetings. In fact, those who go to Glen Canyon would have seen meeting invites posted in many places throughout the park. While I think we can all agree that an appeal by Ms Glikshtern is a right afforded to her by all of us, as citizens of San Francisco, I think we should all consider how much time and effort – by the the community at large – has already gone into the Glen Park improvement plans. Filing an appeal in the final minutes before the public commentary period is closed is a simpleton’s political tactic no different from what we see everyday on capitol hill. Shame on Ms Glikshtern for hiding behind this last minute appeal and shame on you dragging something out which the community at large has already approved.